Resort input please :-)

[mlacreta]

We just bought into SSR and will be planning our first family trip to disney for 9/2006. I was thinking most kids being back in school this might be an easier time to get what we want as far as lodgings go. we were originally planning to just stay at okw the entire time whereas the points were the least needed for the longest stay but i have since been thinking about maybe jumping around between okw, bwv, and bcv so we can get a taste of as many resorts as possible to determine where we will have the best stay for the family. (we will have with us one infant, one 4.5 yr old and 2 seven year olds.) would anyone have any thoughts as far as the "best" family resort and if it is possible to jumparound like that or if the places just book up really fast. as suggested we will originally book our home resort at 11 months then try to change it at 7 out. thanks for any advice!! i am so excited to start planning for this trip!!!!!

 

[Doctor P]

At most, I would try to stay at two resorts to minimize the inconvenience and time cost of moving and the check in process (especially with a young child). Each resort has its own character, so its hard to say which resort might be best for your family at any given time. However, I would suggest staying at one of the boardwalk/Epcot area resorts (BCV or BWV) to see how you think that area might fit your family's needs. I would then stay the rest of the time at either OKW or SSR to see how you like those types of resorts and to save points. VWL is also quite nice, but I would probably forgo it this time unless you really want to do three resorts.

 

[jcodespoti]

Doctor P is correct. It can take some time and effort in switching resorts. If you can, try to plan a few trips at different resorts. All the resorts are themed and feel different than each other. That being said, I guess that OKW and SSR are somewhat like each other, and BWV and BCV are somewhat like each other. Try em' all and see.

Joe in CT

 

[Candace]

Changing resorts can be fun, but remember that you will have to be out of one resort by 11 a.m., and possibly you won't be in the next until 4 p.m., so it may be difficult for naps, etc, for the little ones. For that reason, I would definitely try just two this trip. JMO

 

[tjkraz]

We did one resort hop in December with kids 4 and 2, and won't be doing it again anytime soon. Too unsettling. You also need to plan on not having a room from 11am to 4pm on the day you switch. If you leave your luggage to Disney to transfer--it may not arrive until well after 4pm.

Go with your first instinct--stay at Old Key West. If you want to visit the other resorts, BWV and BCV are very easy to reach from the backside of Epcot. Plan a meal at Cape May Cafe (BCV) or the ESPN Club (BWV) to give yourself an excuse to check things out.

They are all great resorts. You've got pleanty of years to try them all.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I agree with tkraz. That is just too much switching for 4 children. I would just stick with your current reservation at OKW and visit the others, maybe a different one each day. We like to tour the resorts each trip anyway, and it is fun.

 

[tamu91]

I'm sure the kids will love BCV and all the activities at night on the boardwalk. The walk from BCV to the boardwalk is nice, especially on a cool September night. I have not been to OKW or SSR so I can't speak from personal experince but Wilderness Lodge would be another since it's so close to the MK and CR.

 

[house_of_princesses]

I would find it very unsettling and time consuming to resort hop. I do believe, however, you can get a good feeling for a resort by spending time in the common areas. Visit some restaurants or pool hop at other resorts. Imho, a bed is a bed. It's the common areas that make or break the resort theme. Have fun planning!! That's 1/2 the fun!!

 

[mlacreta]

Thanks for all the advice. I am thinking we will stay at okw for the most part and maybe just a couple nights at the beginning or end at bcv. the pool area there just sounds so cool and from what i understand you can't pool hop there so it is probably worth making one move to be there a few days to check it out! we will plan to spend a whole day at one of the parks on the "move" day so that room laspe won't interfere! sound good? anyone with kids my age have an advice on other disney activities that are a must on our first trip? like character breakfasts and what not? Thanks!!!!

 

[tjkraz]

Browse around the Theme Parks board and you'll get a lot of planning advice. I also recommend the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, and its companion site at www.touringplans.com.

The way I read you posts it sounds like this may be your first family vacation to Disney World EVER. If so, congrats on having the faith to buy into DVC.

I will offer one bit of general advice. I don't know how often, if ever, you have vacationed as a family in the past. One really great rule to remember is that your kids--particularly the infant and 4yo--won't take kindly to having their normal routine disrupted. Whenever possible, I always suggest maintaining normal eating and sleeping times, including both afternoon naps and nightly bedtime. If you try to disrupt those schedules too much, you're just asking for grumpy kids and unwanted meltdowns.

We have a 2yo daughter and a 4yo son. Our daughter is a stroller sleeper. She's been to WDW twice, and had no qualms about drifting-off in the stroller or even when being held on a ride.

Our son is a different story--he won't sleep unless he's in a comfortable bed in a dark room. Keeping him up all day isn't a good option, so a mid-day nap break is a must.

So, apply that logic to your family and plan accordingly. In September the weather will be HOT, HUMID and often rainy (it's also hurricane season, so you get a lot of storm fronts from the gulf and Atlantic.) As parents, we may find we value our mid-day break as much as the kids. Just being able to change into a fresh set of clothes is reason enough for me.

If your 7yos don't won't to be in the room, have one parent take them to the pool, Hospitality House or even Downtown Disney while the other stays behind with the younger kids.

Regarding Stormalong Bay, the only comment I'll offer is that many parents find it hard to keep an eye on the kids given the enormous size of the complex. If you're looking for a place to lounge a bit while being confident that your kids are right in front of you and safe, SAB is probably not a great choice. At most of the smaller resort pools you can sit on the sideline but still have all of the action right in front of you. The Beach Club does have a "Quiet Pool" that is much smaller in scope, but it doesn't have a slide for the kids.

Good luck with your planning.

 

[JimMIA]

With regard to schools, Florida schools resume in early August, so September should be fine.

Orlando can be brutally hot in September, so I'd plan your days to include some down time back at the resort pool in the middle of the day. I live in Miami and I'm a native Floridian, so trust me - there is no heat like Orlando late-summer heat!

The Theme Park Commando strategy doesn't mix well with little kids' stamina or schedules, and a little pool time and a nap can pay huge dividends. The "meltdowns" tjkraz mentioned are legendary at WDW, and they are best enjoyed when the "meltee" is someone else's kid.

 

[MagikMom]

I personally like to "resort hop". For example, my upcoming vacation is for 15 nights and I am staying at 3 different places. First, 3 nights at All Star Sports (to save some weekend points), then 8 nights at BCV & finally 4 nights at AKL. My kids are 12 and 9 so it's a bit easier for us. How long are you going for? If it's for at least a week I would do 2 resorts. If it's less than that I would just stick with one for now. If you can do 2 I would recomend a few nights at BCV. You should have no problem booking 7 mo. out in September. BCV also has an on site character breakfast at the Cape May Cafe that your kids would enjoy. Half the fun of being a DVC member is staying at the different resorts.

 

[mlacreta]

We are planning to stay for 14 nights. I think we will do okw for 12 nights and then bcv for 2. The pool recreation area there just sounds so cool for the kids having a sandy beach and all. And we do plan on a character breakfast so that is convieient. I was looking into the park tickets yesturday and was dissappointed with how they changed them. i really liked those length of stay passes we booked on our honeymoon. the new passes are only good for up to 10 days before you have to buy new ones. but i figure we will just spend the last few days either checking out the different resorts or by using the additional passes. I was doing my point math and came up that I will be 2 points short of what i want to do. Being new to the club i am wondering if it is easy to "rent points" or if when i book I can just pay the cash difference from those two missing points. do u have any experience with that?

 

[tjkraz]

I was looking into the park tickets yesturday and was dissappointed with how they changed them. i really liked those length of stay passes we booked on our honeymoon. the new passes are only good for up to 10 days before you have to buy new ones.

Plan to get Annual Passes. DVC members get about 25% off of APs. You'll find all of the prices on the DVC member website. You'll pay about $315 per adult for a standard AP (unlimited access to the 4 main theme parks for 365 days), and about $420 per adult for the Premium Annual Pass (which also includes unlimited admission to DisneyQuest, Pleasure Island and the waterparks.) The child prices are lower.

Don't mean to step on your point, but even under the old ticketing system and with NO DVC discount, APs would be the way to go for a 14-day trip. If you bought a Length of Stay pass for a trip that long, you were throwing money out the window.

I was doing my point math and came up that I will be 2 points short of what i want to do. Being new to the club i am wondering if it is easy to "rent points" or if when i book I can just pay the cash difference from those two missing points. do u have any experience with that?

Unless you're already borrowing all of your points from the next Use Year, just borrow the 2 points. You'll never be 100% in balance every year.

If you need to get two points elsewhere, you'll probably want to do a transfer from another member. Check the rent/trade board for interested parties.

You can't pay the cash difference for partial days--you have to book whole days on either cash or points. You may want to look into paying cash for a full weekend night since the point costs are so high. DVC members often get a 25% discount off of the Rack Rate for weekend stays. You'll have to ask Member Services if a room is available at the discounted cash rate that matches your wants.

 

[mlacreta]

thanks for that info. and yes, my original plans based on the old pass price was to get annual passes but with the new tickets a 10 day one would save us $1000 below buying the ap so we will most likely do that. it looks like the days of use don't need to be consecutive? but i might be wrong. we are also borrowing all our next year points for this trip so i think we will have to see if we can rent acouple points from someone. i'll have to check those boards when it gets closer. i hope that will work! thanks for all the advice!

 

[quentina]

Stay at SSR....it is incredible!!

Kim

 

[thelobstershanty]

14 days is a long trip you can easily split the time between 2 resorts. I would suggest a week at OKW or SSR with the second week at either VWL, BWV or BCV From our experiences 3 resorts in 14 days is too much, when you have litttle kids. All WDW resorts are great but there is a big diiffernce between a Downtown Disney resort and a MK or Epcot resort. You have the time to try both. Go for it.

 

[nboicepardee]

I know with the 7 day tickets you have to use them within 14 days of first use, so you should be fine with the 10 day tickets during your stay.